Trade Tales: Ask Us Anything – Jenna Chused on Rising Prices in the Tariff Era

Podcast: Trade Tales, Business of Home
Host: Kaitlin Petersen
Guest: Jenna Chused
Date: November 12, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Trade Tales dives into one of interior design’s thorniest realities of 2025: how tariffs and economic shifts have led to rising prices for goods—particularly imported ones—and how designers can best communicate these increases to their clients. Host Kaitlin Petersen reconnects with Jenna Chused, a Brooklyn-based shop owner and designer, to offer actionable advice and firsthand perspective on managing client expectations, pricing structure, and financial vigilance in today’s climate.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Price Uncertainty Crisis

• [00:51, 01:22] Designers are struggling to keep pricing consistent with clients amidst rapidly rising costs driven by tariffs and shifting currency exchange rates.
• Clients sometimes return to old proposals expecting the same prices, only to find significant changes.
  • "You do a consult, you have a proposal out … they want to move forward … they know they actually ask, ‘have the prices gone up a lot?’ And I’m like, yes." – Unidentified Designer ([00:51])

2. Strategies for Handling Price Increases

• Proposal Validity Windows:
  • Proposals are commonly marked as valid for 30 days; invoices, 7–14 days.
    • "We usually put on the proposal, it's good for 30 days … and then on the invoice we usually put seven to 14 days." – Unidentified Designer ([02:16])
• Adjusting Markups:
  • Some firms are raising markups slightly (e.g., from 40% to 45%) to absorb unforeseen future price spikes.
    • "Maybe we're doing 45% because then that just saves everybody. We don't have to mark anything up to them, tell them anything happened or changed." – Unidentified Designer ([02:35])
• Sourcing More Domestically:
  • To reduce tariff exposure, designers are increasing sourcing from US-based vendors where possible.
    • "I try to order as much as I can from vendors that are made in the US ... that helps." – Unidentified Designer ([02:35])

3. Jenna Chused’s Firsthand Experience with Tariffs

• Jenna’s own business has shifted due to the economic environment:

  • She’s recently expanded her Brooklyn store, partly to show more inventory domestically and reduce reliance on expensive overseas purchases.
    • "We have this great office and then we walk through these arch doorways and we have this huge space … it allows me to buy more stuff. I can’t stop shopping. But actually … I have stopped shopping a little bit. I missed two shows this fall because of the tariffs." – Jenna Chused ([06:25], [07:49])

• Calculating the True Cost of Imports:

  • Currency shifts and tariffs combine for substantial increases—sometimes up to 35% before markup.
    • “With the dollar at like almost 120 and the 15% tariffs, that’s 35% before I even mark it up ... there’s a ceiling for vintage and antique goods.” – Jenna Chused ([08:57])

4. Communicating with Clients About Pricing

• Informing Clients from the Start:

  • Jenna advises being upfront about pricing realities—even sending out an info packet that details minimum project budgets as part of the vetting process.
    • "It's in my very first communication with them, we have a packet ... I started stating a minimum within that packet." – Jenna Chused ([19:43])

• Transparency on Tariffs:

  • Tariffs are passed through as a separate line item, without markup, to show clear separation from design fees.
    • "I do not mark up tariffs. I pass them through as a line item on the invoice ... so we do not add it into the cost of goods." – Jenna Chused ([11:58], [12:57])

• Clients Reacting to Price Jumps:

  • Clients have become more cautious about buying from Europe; some specifically request only US sourcing.
    • "Some of my savvy clients tell me we are not buying anything from Europe. Sorry, I’m not doing it right now. It’s the dollar, the tariffs. I’m not doing it right now. Please don’t source from Europe." – Jenna Chused ([11:58])

5. Project Management Amid Volatility

• Budgeting in Detail:

  • Jenna’s process involves creating a detailed Excel budget at the schematic design phase, estimating every line item and letting clients see the breakdown clearly.
    • "Every single thing on that floor plan is going to be on the budget, and we put a number to every single thing … that budget is like our bible throughout the whole process." – Jenna Chused ([21:40])

• Adapting to Inflation:

  • There’s an expectation that higher budgets (and higher-end clients) will be necessary as costs rise across the board.
    • “… we'll probably have to take sort of like higher end budgets just because things cost more. And I’m still trying to get it done with a certain budget.” – Jenna Chused ([15:14])

• Repricing for Returning Clients:

  • For clients who pause and then resume projects after months, Jenna recommends repricing everything—and possibly billing for the extra work involved.
    • "I would have to be repeating work that I might not be getting paid for ... you would have to literally reprice everything." – Jenna Chused ([18:38])

6. The Emotional Toll and Long-term Industry Shifts

• Jenna expresses sadness at scaling back on European sourcing but acknowledges it’s a necessary adaptation. She anticipates further inflation and local price increases in 2026 as upstream components imported by US manufacturers get more expensive.
  • "We can't control that ... I feel sad that I can't first go [to Europe] because I know that I'll be priced out. ... I just keep going back to it's not just the tariffs. It's also the dollar." – Jenna Chused ([26:02])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Currency & Tariff Double-Whammy:
  “The dollar at like almost 120 and the 15% tariffs, that’s 35% before I even mark it up … you can only get what you can get for something because there’s a market value.” – Jenna Chused ([08:57])

• On Client Transparency:
  “I do not mark up tariffs. I pass them through as a line item on the invoice because I want them to see this is government, this is not us.” – Jenna Chused ([11:58])

• On Changing Client Behavior:
  “Some of my savvy clients tell me we are not buying anything from Europe. Sorry, I’m not doing it right now. It’s the dollar, the tariffs. I’m not doing it right now.” – Jenna Chused ([11:58])

• On Budget as a Guiding Principle:
  “That budget is like our bible throughout the whole process.” – Jenna Chused ([21:40])

• On Tariff Conversations vs. Early Pricing Conversations:
  “Yes, because this is fact. This is just like—they, the government is charging us this. We need to charge it to you … but if I tell them it takes me five hours to find a chair, that is arbitrary. That is something that is just me … It’s really fact vs. something that can move.” – Jenna Chused ([25:21])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction / Issue Framing: [00:03] – [01:22]
• Designer Dilemma (Client Pricing Lags): [00:51] – [02:26]
• How Proposal Windows Work: [02:16]
• Impact of Tariffs & Currency on Inventory: [08:57]
• Jenna’s Communication Strategies: [11:58], [19:43], [21:40]
• Advice on Returning Clients & Repricing: [18:22] – [19:29]
• Expectations Around Inflation & Industry Change: [15:14], [26:02]
• Proactive Financial Vigilance / Best Advice: [27:53]

Final Advice & Best Practice Tips

• List tariffs as a separate, non-marked-up line item on invoices to promote transparency and goodwill.
  • "That's why I list them out, because I want to keep talking about it. I want people to be angry." – Jenna Chused ([27:33])
• Communicate minimum budgets and pricing structure at the very start to level-set expectations.
• Always re-bid or re-price projects for returning clients if significant time has passed.
• Regularly monitor all business and credit card transactions (fraud is everywhere, even with a bookkeeper).
  • "You have to be looking at your credit cards weekly … my best piece of advice to anyone listening is to be super vigilant." – Jenna Chused ([27:53])
• Build flexibility into your sourcing and be ready to pivot as market/economic conditions evolve.

This episode offers candid, actionable insight for designers navigating today’s volatile design marketplace. Jenna Chused’s directness, paired with her commitment to client transparency, presents a model for maintaining trust while adapting to an era of unpredictable costs.